Faith has guided Amy Grant most of her life

By Sue Nowicki

Published: November 8, 2008

MODESTO, Calif. — Amy Grant is the best-selling female Christian music artist in the world.

Amy Grant

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With 30 million albums sold worldwide, nine platinum albums, six Grammy Awards and 26 Dove Awards under her belt, Grant also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

But she has said she prefers an evening of hanging out with her family to life in the spotlights, and that her faith is a simple gift that she relies on, both in tough days and good ones.

We caught up with Grant at her home near Nashville, Tenn., for a discussion of faith and family.

Q: Do you have a favorite Bible verse?

A: So many. When I was in college, a group of us used to run, or jog or limp, and for a time, we had to bring a verse and then we had to memorize it while we were jogging. I think that lasted maybe one week. Mine was Hebrews 10:23 — "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Q: You’ve gone through a lot of challenges and changes in the past 10 years. How has your faith helped you?

A: For all of us, our faith shapes how we see life. My husband came back a while ago after having lunch with a new friend. This man had opened up about his war experiences (in Vietnam), about the killing and the horrors. This man said, "My faith saved me from the war.” That’s true. Our faith saves us from ourselves, our circumstances. There have been times of amazing growth and times of feeling stagnant for a lot of reasons.

I think a great thing happens after you turn 40. I have found that my emotional pendulum doesn’t swing as wide, and my emotional and spiritual roots feel deeper. I remember looking at my parents’ spiritual maturity when I was a kid and wondering, "When am I going to feel like that?” I think it’s the hard times, whether they’re imposed on us or whether we bring them on ourselves, that brings it.

Q: Are you doing anything different in sharing your faith and beliefs with your youngest daughter, Corrina, than you did with your older three children?

A: Probably. I guess I’d have to ask them. I’m older and probably more relaxed. I would imagine that hopefully at times, I’m a better listener than I was as a young mom.

Q: What’s the best part of being God’s daughter?

A: The best part is knowing if I never lifted a finger, it wouldn’t change his love for me. That’s true of everybody. We just live in such a performance-based world — who looks the best, who serves the best, who tries the hardest, who does the most. I mean I don’t want to lay around in bed and eat bon- bons. But I’m so thankful that I don’t have to work to earn his love.

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